HC Deb 15 May 1985 vol 79 cc163-6W
Mrs. Ann Winterton

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what information he has concerning the numbers and rate per 1,000 births of caesarian section deliveries in each of the regional health authorities.

letter sent to the Minister with responsibility for the disabled on 27 April by the chairman of the Joint Committee for the Disabled about the level of the mobility allowance, together with his reply.

Mr. Newton

The letters are as followsI refer to our previous correspondence on motoring costs and the value of the mobility allowance — my letter of 15 December 1985 and your reply of 14 January 1985, reference PO(2)4810/14. Following the March Budget statement, I have updated the schedule comparing motoring costs with mobility allowance values. As you will see, and as you no doubt appreciated, the increase in tax on petrol and inflation in general have seriously increased the gap between motoring costs and the value of the mobility allowance. As you will see from the enclosed printout (produced on the indentical basis to that of the December 1984 schedule), the index of motoring costs has increased from 206 to 221 in comparison with the index of the MobA rate of 200. If disabled people's mobility is not to continue to be reduced, the mobility allowance will have to be raised this coming November by 10 per cent. at the very least. Peter Large Thank you for your further letter of 27 April enclosing an updated schedule comparing the increases in mobility allowance and motoring costs since 1978. I again note the results but I do not think that there is anything which I can usefully add to my reply to you on 14 January which was subsequently published. [Official Report. Vol. 71 c. 60–61]. The increase of mobility allowance from November will be announced, as usual, in June. Tony Newton

Mr. John Patten

The available information, derived from the hospital inpatient inquiry is given in the table.

The estimated number of deliveries shown is less than the number of births by caesarean section because multiple births are counted as single deliveries. The rates expressed per 1,000 live births may differ slightly from other published rates which are expressed per 1,000 total deliveries.

Estimated number of Caesarean section deliveries from HIPE and rate per thousand live births by Regional Health Authority of mothers usual residence 1982, 1983 (provisional).
Regional Health Authority 1982 1983
Number Rate per 1,000 births Number Rate per 1,000 births
Northern 3,267 83.1 3,514 89.8
Yorkshire 3,935 85.9 4,335 93.2
Trent 5,620 99.7 5,646 98.8
East Anglian 2,117 92.7 2,312 100.2
North West Thames 4,551 99.7 4,969 109.0
North East Thames 5,050 102.1 4,984 99.9
South East Thames 4,548 103.7 4,042 91.8
South West Thames 3,855 111.7 3,622 104.4
Wessex 3,024 92.1 3,044 92.1
Oxford 2,726 87.4 2,744 88.7
South Western 3,692 104.6 3,659 103.0
West Midlands 6,085 89.6 5,753 84.3
Mersey 3,823 121.6 3,609 113.3
North Western 5,600 105.0 5,661 105.6

Mrs. Ann Winterton

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what information he has concerning comparative survival rates in different regions following birth as a result of (a) normal delivery, (b) forceps delivery and (c) caesarian section delivery.

Mr. John Patten

We do not collect sufficient information centrally to give a reliable comparison of survival rates for the different regions and methods of delivery.

Mrs. Ann Winterton

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what information he has concerning the rates of use of general anaesthetic in childbirth in each of the different health regions.

Mr. John Patten

I shall let my hon. Friend have a reply as soon as possible.

Mrs. Ann Winterton

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what information he has concerning the percentage of total births which require caesarean section delivery in England and Wales in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mr. John Patten

The available information, derived from the hospital inpatient inquiry, is shown in the table. This covers England and Wales in 1979–81 and England in 1982–83. Statistics for Wales in 1982–83 are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

Multiple births are counted as single deliveries. These figures therefore differ from other published rates that are expressed as percentages of total deliveries.

Estimated number of caesarean section deliveries as a percentage of total live and still births: England and Wales 1979–81, England 1982, 1983 (Provisional)
Year Percentage
England and Wales 1979 8.2
1980 8.7
1981 9.0
England 1982 9.8
1983 9.8

Mrs. Ann Winterton

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what information he has concerning the average relative costs of normal deliveries, caesarean deliveries and forceps deliveries.

Mr. John Patten

Information is not collected centrally on the average costs of different types of delivery, but my hon. Friend may find the table useful. Average costs will depend on many factors other than postnatal stay, for example the time spent in hospital before delivery, the cost of the delivery itself and the amount of professional care required by the mother before and after delivery.

Estimated mean postnatal stay of delivered cases in the hospital ofdelivery: 1980, England and Wales
Method of delivery Mean length of stay (days)
Spontaneous* 5.3
Caesarean section 12.9
Instrumental† 7.7
Other and unspecified 7.2
* Includes spontaneous breech delivery.
†Includes vacuum extraction and breech extraction